Editor of Armenian newspaper killed in Turkey

On January 19, at 3 p.m. local time, in front of the building of the editorial board of the Armenian weekly "Akos," published in Istanbul in the Turkish language, Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of the edition and an Armenian by origin, was shot dead by three headshots.

Mr. Hrant Dink was broadly known in Turkey, Armenia and in Armenian Diaspora as a highly professional journalist and influential public figure, who was many times charged of breaching Article 301 of the Criminal Code of Turkey, which prohibits mentioning the genocide of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey in 1915-1922.

In October 2005, Hrant Dink was awarded a six months' conditional sentence for an article of genocide of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey in 1915.

In his interview to the correspondent of the "Caucasian Knot" about a year ago, Hrant Dink stated that among certain circles of the Turkish political elite, in particular, among Islamists, an essential interest may be noticed to studying the issue of Armenians' genocide. In his words, a certain progress in this direction is noticed also among ordinary Turkish people, and in a number of intellectuals.

We note here that the Armenian community all over the world has immediately reacted to Mr. Dink's murder. The assassination of Hrant Dink was condemned by Nicolas Burns, US Deputy Secretary of State who is presently in Turkey. The leadership of the European Union has also disapproved Dink's murder.